Amber Sekoll
102H Dr. Fogelman
September 13, 2013
Outside Influences
I am a very fortunate student. I have been privileged enough to come home to a more than sturdy home environment and a loving, caring, and supportive family throughout the past twelve years. Even the environment created by the track and cross country teams I was a part of during high school and middle school has played a critical role in my success. Most students aren't immersed in the kinds of extracurricular environments I was in, and I've seen those students' grades suffer first hand. Without my stable home life, I am sure that I would not stand as strong academically as I currently do. My family and my extracurricular activities have been valuable resources in the process of my academic development.
Some of the most fond memories from my childhood include late evenings spent studying with my Auntie Cheryl. I can remember going through the entire digestion process of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with her, learning math tricks with my fingers, and spending entire summers reading books and memorizing the multiplication table together. Looking back now, those invaluable hours that my auntie spent nurturing my mind probably had the biggest impact on my academic career. She was the spark that ignited my brain's critical thinking and analysis skills. Without her, I wouldn't have the studying skills or techniques that have boosted me up in the classroom. In reality, she set the sturdy foundation for my academic growth.
Around the time middle school was ending and high school was beginning, I had decided that I wanted to become a more independent person. However, it seemed like my mom and step dad kept getting in the way of my independence; their constant "no's" and strict curfews were putting a damper on my social life. At the time, it seemed like they were trying too hard to control my life, but now I see that they were only doing it for the best. Whenever they did tell me "no" to doing things with my friends, it was usually because they knew I had a ton of school work to get done that night. They were always asking me about my work load, so it was easy for them to tell when it would get piled high. Some of my friend's parents never said no to them, and this always used to make me jealous. Today, I am glad that my parents said no to me when I needed to get my school work done. It has taught me to prioritize correctly, and to always put school before socializing. They've influenced me to stay focused, and get the job done!
Running has always been a huge part of my life. Although it has taken up a lot of my time, it has helped me learn how to budget my remaining time for school work. Indoor track meets in high school would sometimes last until 11:00 pm, which would result in the team getting back home at 12:00 am. Often times, those were the nights I would have the most homework (funny how it always worked out that way....). During those meets, I had to learn how to transition my focus from my track event to my school work. When I was competing, all of my focus and energy went to whatever event I was competing in. When I wasn't competing, I had to refocus my energy onto my school work, and buckle down to get it done. Sometimes, it was very hard to focus at high energy meets, but I quickly learned how to tune out my surroundings. Those late-night meets in addition to late-running practices have been an incredible academic resource to me (even though I never learned the inverse function of sine at a practice). They forced me to adapt into a student who knows how to manage her time to get her school work complete, and stay ahead of the game in class.
It's been a long twelve years of primary education, and I've still got at least six more years ahead of me. What I've learned in the classrooms have been, without a doubt, the primary focuses of my education. Taking a step back now, I can see that the things I've learned outside of the classroom have been equally as important to my academic performance. I guess a good student really is made outside of class.
102H Dr. Fogelman
September 13, 2013
Outside Influences
I am a very fortunate student. I have been privileged enough to come home to a more than sturdy home environment and a loving, caring, and supportive family throughout the past twelve years. Even the environment created by the track and cross country teams I was a part of during high school and middle school has played a critical role in my success. Most students aren't immersed in the kinds of extracurricular environments I was in, and I've seen those students' grades suffer first hand. Without my stable home life, I am sure that I would not stand as strong academically as I currently do. My family and my extracurricular activities have been valuable resources in the process of my academic development.
Some of the most fond memories from my childhood include late evenings spent studying with my Auntie Cheryl. I can remember going through the entire digestion process of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with her, learning math tricks with my fingers, and spending entire summers reading books and memorizing the multiplication table together. Looking back now, those invaluable hours that my auntie spent nurturing my mind probably had the biggest impact on my academic career. She was the spark that ignited my brain's critical thinking and analysis skills. Without her, I wouldn't have the studying skills or techniques that have boosted me up in the classroom. In reality, she set the sturdy foundation for my academic growth.
Around the time middle school was ending and high school was beginning, I had decided that I wanted to become a more independent person. However, it seemed like my mom and step dad kept getting in the way of my independence; their constant "no's" and strict curfews were putting a damper on my social life. At the time, it seemed like they were trying too hard to control my life, but now I see that they were only doing it for the best. Whenever they did tell me "no" to doing things with my friends, it was usually because they knew I had a ton of school work to get done that night. They were always asking me about my work load, so it was easy for them to tell when it would get piled high. Some of my friend's parents never said no to them, and this always used to make me jealous. Today, I am glad that my parents said no to me when I needed to get my school work done. It has taught me to prioritize correctly, and to always put school before socializing. They've influenced me to stay focused, and get the job done!
Running has always been a huge part of my life. Although it has taken up a lot of my time, it has helped me learn how to budget my remaining time for school work. Indoor track meets in high school would sometimes last until 11:00 pm, which would result in the team getting back home at 12:00 am. Often times, those were the nights I would have the most homework (funny how it always worked out that way....). During those meets, I had to learn how to transition my focus from my track event to my school work. When I was competing, all of my focus and energy went to whatever event I was competing in. When I wasn't competing, I had to refocus my energy onto my school work, and buckle down to get it done. Sometimes, it was very hard to focus at high energy meets, but I quickly learned how to tune out my surroundings. Those late-night meets in addition to late-running practices have been an incredible academic resource to me (even though I never learned the inverse function of sine at a practice). They forced me to adapt into a student who knows how to manage her time to get her school work complete, and stay ahead of the game in class.
It's been a long twelve years of primary education, and I've still got at least six more years ahead of me. What I've learned in the classrooms have been, without a doubt, the primary focuses of my education. Taking a step back now, I can see that the things I've learned outside of the classroom have been equally as important to my academic performance. I guess a good student really is made outside of class.